To Be or Not to Be a Thunderbird
by SN1983
Summary: Alan has always wanted to be a Thunderbird, right? At least that's what his family thinks. When he finally reveals his dreams for the future, will his family stand behind him?
1. Alan's Future

**AN: This is movie-verse, mainly because I've never seen the T.V. show. At least I've never seen more than bits of episodes although you may find elements of the show in here that wasn't in the movie. Two years have passed since the end of the movie. If you look closely you may find bits of the Gilmore Girls in here. I tend to latch onto ideas I really like and take them to other genres if I think they'll work. Rory Gilmore is a Journalism major in the show, and is where I first realized the subject could actually be *gasp* interesting. Hmmm…should Alan get a male Paris? That would be cruel, but fun…HeHeHe. **

**I own nothing except characters you don't recognize from either show. **

**Chapter 1:**

Wharton Academy for Boys

Alan Tracy quickly ran to his Astronomy class. He was running late for the third time that week.

"TRACY" a voice bellowed in the hallway.

Alan winced as he turned around. He knew whose voice that was, and he currently was not in the mood to deal with the headmaster. "Yes sir?"

"The hallway is not a track, Mr. Tracy. Perhaps, if you are so in love with that particular sport you should try out for the team." Mr. Gonzolas said scathingly.

"I'm sorry, sir. My classes are too far apart, sir. Even with me running, I'm still late." Alan responded breathlessly as the bell rang. He winced; he was not looking forward to possibly having detention or his father's reaction to said detention.

"What was your last class?" Mr. Gonzalas asked quietly.

"U.S. History" Alan replied, surprised.

"And now?" the headmaster asked.

"Astronomy" Alan answered.

"Come with me." Mr. Gonzalas said as he led a shocked Alan to his guidance counselor's office.

"Mr. Barnes, Alan has been reported as being late several times to his Astronomy class. I watched him today. I do not feel the tardiness is due to playing around. Would you please help him work out his schedule in a way that would benefit him?" Mr. Gonzalas asked as he motioned for Alan to sit.

"Of course, sir," Mr. Barnes replied smoothly. He had been waiting to get Alan into his office. Alan was the only one in the 11th grade that was not currently looking at colleges or registering for the SATs.

As Mr. Gonzolas shut the door, Alan bit back a grown. He should have realized this would happen. Even though all of his older brothers had gone into International Rescue, they had each had time to focus on other things during high school. Scott spent a couple years in the Air Force after graduation before I.R. John had done dual enrollment his final two years of high school, and was currently working on his doctorate in Astronomy. Virgil loved to draw along with science, and he was currently working on his Bachelors in Engineering. Gordon was a world class swimmer. He was the only one that did not immediately want to join I.R. He had focused on W.A.S.P. instead after he had won his gold medal. The hydrofoil accident had ended that career and Gordon joined I.R. ahead of planned. He had kept up with his love of water, though, only surrendering T4 to Alan while Alan was still training. As for Alan, he hadn't focused on anything in the past four years, except International Rescue, which was the only thing he was interested in. He was never getting out of here!

"Well, Mr. Tracy let's see if we can't get you straightened out", Mr. Barnes said as he examined Alan's schedule. "Before we move anything I would like to talk to you first. I have been made aware that you have not registered for the SATs or even chosen a field you are interested in. Why don't we go ahead and get you registered for the SAT."

"Fine. I didn't realize that we weren't allowed to take the test in the spring or even our senior year" Alan replied.

"It is better to take them early." Mr. Barnes answered while deciding to ignore Alan's smart aleck attitude at the moment. "Now here at Wharton, we like to gear the final two years towards whatever field you are interested in studying at college. I've also noticed that you haven't chosen a field. There are several subjects and fields that you have shown an aptitude over the years in that your past counselors have passed along. Your teachers say that you show an aptitude in the sciences, which is not surprising, particularly in Astronomy, Computers, and Physics. So let's keep you in Astronomy for now, hmm? We can put you in Physics next year if you feel this is a path you want to follow. You also have an aptitude for the Arts. You are a talented artist for someone who has had no formal training. With your love in science you could combine this into Engineering, Architecture, or a Graphics Design degree. You are also a talented writer. I feel that this is one of your strongest fields, as you have received almost no negative feedback in this area. Have you ever considered Journalism as a career, Mr. Tracy?"

"Not recently," Alan answered uneasily, realizing that he had just given Mr. Barnes the bait he needed to continue.

"Not recently? So you have considered it? Tell me what caused you to change your mind?" He asked while he scribbled down notes on a tablet.

"I grew up, and it was no longer as interesting to me." Alan answered, which was true. He had thought it would be cool to travel the world and report what was going on back home, or at least he had until four years ago when International Rescue started.

"Well, why don't we put you in our first year Journalism class? Most of the students will be freshmen in there, but I feel like you will you will get along fine. The other three classes are at the same time, so there will be students your age in there. Journalism also happens to be in the time slot of your Trig class, so we can move that to next semester. It is also right around the corner to the Science Building." Mr. Barnes offered.

"If I must" Alan answered unenthusiastic. Inside he was scared. What if he ends up loving this field as much as he had always thought he would? How could he be a Thunderbird and be in the profession that was one of the bane's of their existence?

Mr. Barnes looked at him shrewdly. He knew that Alan was faking the no enthusiasm about the course. "Come back here after your final class. I will get an audition piece from Mrs. Fletcher. If you do well enough on it, she may clear you for a higher level class. That would give you the chance for more bylines. Also, we will trade out your English class for a Creative Writing one, so go ahead and use this schedule."

"Okay" Alan answered as he stood up to leave. The ending bell for the block that he was supposed to have been in rang as he waited for a note from Mr. Barnes.

"I will take care of your Astronomy class", Mr. Barnes told him, "Go ahead to your next class."

"Thanks," Alan replied as he grabbed the note and his new schedule before heading out the door for his next class.

The rest of the day flew by, and he found himself actually enjoying his classes for once. The Creative Writing class actually was fun and he loved playing on the computer in Graphics Design. After Graphics he headed back down the stairs to the counselor's office.

"Alan," a very familiar voice said behind him.

Alan turned around and came face to face with John. He opened and closed his mouth a few times in shock causing John to chuckle. Alan had forgotten that it was the start of Fall Break and that Fermat and he were heading home that afternoon.

"I forgot. I'm sorry. I've got a couple of things I have to do before I can leave, not including throw some things in a duffel bag for the week," Alan replied flustered.

"That's okay. We're not on a set schedule. I'm in the private jet," John replied, still chuckling at Alan's expense. He had missed his blond brother. The two of them had become close right after the Hood's attack on Thunderbird Five two years previous, but after that T5 was repaired and John went back. Well, the two had drifted apart much to both of their annoyance. John had arranged with their Dad to be the one to pick up Alan and Fermat in a way of trying to reestablish contact with his baby brother, who unfortunately was going through the period when one changes the most quickly away from all of his older brothers. "Mind if I tag along with you on your errands, or will I embarrass you?" he asked only half joking.

"You can come, if you promise to keep quiet about something. And no, I'm not in trouble. You'll understand," Alan said desperately.

John raised an eyebrow at Alan. He was intrigued now. What could have the kid that secretive and flustered and he still not be in trouble? "If you aren't in trouble, then I promise to keep my mouth shut. Only and only if you discuss whatever it is with me if I feel there is a need," John returned.

Alan grimaced, "Fine". He then turned around and headed towards his Astronomy classroom to see if his teacher was still in there. _'Might as well use having John here to my advantage,'_ thought Alan. His teacher was fascinated with John's research and if Alan was lucky he could perhaps leave John there and not have to discuss anything.

John noticed they were heading into the Science Building. He was surprised when they stopped outside of an obvious Astronomy lecture room and Alan opened the door. He hadn't realized that Alan was taking Astronomy. None of their other brothers had touched the subject. He looked at Alan in a new light. Maybe he will have someone to share T5 with, one that might actually enjoy it.

Alan's teacher looked up surprised as the door opened, then angry for a split second when he saw who was there. John purposefully hung back after he saw the anger on Alan's teacher's face and saw Alan take a step back in surprise.

"Mr. Barnes said he was going to talk to you about my missing class today. He also fixed my schedule to where I will not be all the way across campus before this class. I shouldn't be late anymore, sir," Alan opened with.

"He came by, Mr. Tracy. I'm glad you will no longer be late to my class. Get one of your classmate's notes and I will excuse you from the quiz as I am in a hurry. Your next quiz, however, will count twice and it will not be as easy as today's," Mr. Jones replied effectively cutting Alan off, which pissed John off enough to announce his presence.

"Thank you for being willing to work with Alan. You are most kind," John said coolly, causing Alan to glance over at him with a mixture of pride and slight embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, and you are?" Mr. Jones asked after pushing his glasses up on his nose to get a good look at the second blond that had just walked through his door. A blond who the young Mr. Tracy eerily favored and he knew enough about the Tracy family to know that there were only two blonds. His student, Alan, and his older brother, John, the astronomer whose research he was keen on discussing. He nearly groaned when he realized his blunder.

"His older brother, John," John answered without a hint of warmth returning to his voice.

"I have read your work, Mr. Tracy. I find it highly fascinating. I realize my shortness with your brother may appear to you to be undeserved, but you must realize he has been late to class nearly everyday so far this semester. And then today he spent the entire block in his guidance counselor's office as opposed to my class. Your brother is nearly gifted as you are in this field, and I use the word 'nearly' because I can't get him to fully apply himself," vented Mr. Jones.

Alan had by this time found the floor to be extremely interesting. He knew that John wasn't going to let the teacher's comment about him not applying himself go, but he also knew that Mr. Jones had just made his even tempered brother madder. He finally looked up with the notion of getting both of them out of there. "I'm sorry, sir, but I was told to report back to Mr. Barnes' office after classes today. I came by here first to see about any work I had missed, because I really didn't expect to miss your class, sir."

"I think Mr. Jones is through with you, so if you are required elsewhere let's go," John answered before Alan's teacher could.

"By all means, I will see you next Monday, Mr. Tracy," Mr. Jones said smoothly.

Alan quickly walked out the door leaving his teacher and brother staring at each other. John turned around and headed towards the door, but at the last minute turned and faced Mr. Jones and said. "Alan is not me, while we may both have an interest in the subject that does not mean we love it at the same level. If Alan is truly neglecting his studies in here, then by all means contact our father. As for you seeing him again, I feel like Alan may possibly benefit from a different teacher. Excuse me."

He exited the classroom and noticed Alan a little ways up the hall. He hurried to catch up with Alan before he lost him. "I'm sorry."

Alan looked at John thoughtfully, "Don't be. I appreciated it".

The two brothers shared a smile as Alan led the way to Mr. Barnes' office. When the two arrived, Alan noticed Mr. Connelly just arriving as well. Mr. Connelly looked up at the two as they approached. He immediately recognized Alan. He had tried to figure out a way to get the kid interested in Journalism before, but to no avail. Perhaps Mr. Barnes had finally achieved it, though. He recognized Alan's brother, John with him. The fact that his brother was here was unusual, but then again it is the beginning of a school holiday and this meeting was not really planned in advance.

"Alan, I'm glad you remembered. I believe you met Mr. Connelly today in your Creative Writing Class. I see you brought your brother with you, that's fine. Do come in, it may be a little tight, but if Alan has no problem with you being here I don't either," Mr. Barnes said by way of greeting.

"John can stay. If he wants," Alan said quietly.

John glanced quickly over at his youngest brother. Alan was technically very shy when it came to personal things, and he tended to cover over that fact with bravado. Alan was nervous about him being here, but he was convinced if Alan really didn't want him in here he'd say so. "I must admit, I have become intrigued," answered John.

"Alan's being secretive, huh? Well, today he was brought into my office about his schedule after the headmaster himself noticed Alan having trouble getting to class on time. It worked out quite nicely, because I was about to have him brought in soon anyways. It had come to my attention that your brother had, as of this morning, not registered for the SATs or declared a major. You may not be aware, but Wharton Academy has majors like colleges. We encourage the students to declare one by their junior year, so that we can put them in classes that better suits what they want to have a career in," Mr. Barnes said.

John glanced over at Alan. He had already figured out the kid's problem. The school would not have had 'Thunderbird' as a possible major. Alan had been only twelve when International Rescue officially formed, and he was eight when their Dad began discussing it. He had grown up a 'Thunderbird' and no one had thought to tell him that for the outside world he'd have to choose a 'career' to pursue.

"After looking at Alan's records, I came up with a list of possible career choices that we went over this morning. As seems to be the standard in your family, he shows a natural aptitude for the sciences and technology. However, he is more talented in the arts. Mainly in writing, your brother is extremely talented in that field. He has received almost no negative feedback in that area, and he seems to really enjoy it. During my review of his file I found out that Alan has a past interest in Journalism. During the meeting this morning I put him in the Creative Writing class in place of normal eleventh grade English, a Graphics Design class to utilize his technology and artistic ability if he chooses to go that way, and then the reason for this meeting. I want to put him into a Journalism class. Mr. Connelly and I both feel like he can test out of the first year class, which will give more chance to have bylines and go farther. Since this is Mr. Connelly's area, I will let him take over." Mr. Barnes closed rather long windedly.

"Thanks," Mr. Connelly replied dryly, "Well, Alan I have to admit some of your work here over the years has been brought to my attention before this. I was interested in you then, and I still am. I think you could be an excellent journalist someday. You simply need training. I will caution you. If you are not serious about Journalism, do not waste my time. There are plenty of students that would love to have this chance or even just your spot in my first year class. Journalism is highly competitive. I know for a fact that when you were younger that you said you 'wanted to travel the world and tell everyone back home what was going on', is that right?"

"Yes sir," Alan answered quietly while John looked at him closely. He had no clue that Alan had these dreams. In fact he would be shocked if anyone in their family did. _'Do we even know the kid?'_ John thought dismayed that he did not already know this about his brother.

"If you are interested I have an assignment for you for over the holiday. Since it would be due Tuesday, I have the majority of the research here for you. I need you to finish the research and then bring it together in an article for me. You also like science and technology, so I kept that in mind when I picked the topic. I feel like it encompasses everything you have expressed a true interest in," Mr. Connelly said as he handed Alan a portfolio. "I look forward to reading your work".

"Thank you," Alan replied as he looked over at Mr. Barnes for clearance to leave.

"That's all that I have, feel free to have your father call the school if he has any questions," Mr. Barnes replied as way of dismissal.

Alan nodded as he started to head out the door with John at his heels. He breathed a sigh of relief at being out of there as he cut his eyes over to John. John had been awfully quiet during the meeting. Not that anyone could really get a word in when Mr. Barnes got started, but the fact that he still hadn't said anything now that they were out of the office was worrying Alan. "So?" he said by way of trying to get John to say something.

"So," John answered before turning towards Alan, effectively stopping the two of them outside Alan and Fermat's room. "Journalism, huh? It sounds like you were made for it."

"I guess," Alan answered as he opened the door to his room to grab a few things.

Fermat was inside sitting on his bed waiting for his friend. He knew that Alan had a few meetings that afternoon, but he hadn't known that John was coming to pick them up. He noticed that Alan didn't seem to be too happy, and that John almost had a shell shocked look to him. He wondered what the meeting had been about, while Alan hurriedly threw some things in his duffel for the trip. It did not take Alan long to pack, and soon the three were on their way to Tracy's Island.

During the trip, Alan brought Fermat up to speed on everything that had happened that day while he helped John fly the plane. Well, almost up to speed. He didn't tell Fermat what major they wanted to put him in, because frankly he was scared he'd fail the assignment. The fewer people that knew about this the better. He couldn't help the exhilarated feeling he had as well. He had put this dream up on the top shelve of the proverbial mind closet, and it had been forgotten. Now thanks to his guidance counselor, the dream had been taken down. It was dusty and needed cleaning, but Alan was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe his first dream was the correct one for him.

John kept silent when he noticed Alan only giving Fermat the bare essentials. He wondered if that meant that their father and brothers could get the bare essentials as well. He was trying to figure out what he could tell everyone and what would potentially violate his promise. He also needed to get his mind around this new idea, because he wasn't blind. He knew that Alan was still in love with this dream. He had simply replaced parts of it with the Thunderbirds he loved so much. The traveling, seeing the world up close, finding out what was going on, and okay he did switch from reporting to being the news, but the dreams did have similar components. He knew that Alan was going to need to bounce this dream around a bit like that basketball he received for his tenth birthday, the one that seemed to endlessly be bouncing. John realized, dismayed, that at ten Alan probably already had this first dream of his and he had never known.

Tracy One made her approach to Tracy Island all too quickly for two people on board the plane, who were busy being lost in their thoughts. As they came in on the landing strip, they noticed five people waiting for them. The remaining Tracys on the island and Dr. Hackenbecker had come to greet their respective family member on board the plane. The rest of the night went pretty quietly, well quietly for the Tracy household. Practical jokes were played, but one of the usual culprits was noticeably missing from the merriment. Alan seemed aloof, which worried his father and three remaining brothers. They each privately vowed to get to the story out of Alan, and if need be John appeared to be their ticket.

To be continued…

**Oh no! Poor John! He wants to tell, but he can't and now he's going to get bombarded. And what is Alan's assignment exactly? Any guesses?**

**This idea has played on my mind for awhile. International Rescue was not around Alan's entire life. Even in the movie I got the feeling that it was still pretty new, mainly because the boys were so young. **

**And as some of you can probably tell, I'm trying to get the boys in their rightful ships that they had on the T.V. show. I think Alan got T4 in the movie because he was only 14, and out of all the Thunderbirds if I had to put a child of mine at that age on one, T4 is it. Virgil and Gordon had changed colors by the end of the movie as well. Virgil was red and then green and Gordon was yellow and then red. Or was Gordon red all the way throughout? Oh, well, colors changed needless to say from the beginning to the end of the movie as Jeff removed himself to make room for Alan.**


	2. Alan's Beach

**AN: This is movie-verse, mainly because I've never seen the T.V. show (first good paying job I get, I am buying the 12 volume megaset!). At least I've never seen more than bits of episodes although you may find elements of the show in here that wasn't in the movie. I said two years on Chapter 1, but more like around 1.5 years have passed since the end of the movie. **

**I am fully aware of how long it has been since I started this story, and I seriously did not plan to wait this long to update. I'm sorry!**

**I own nothing except characters you don't recognize from either show. **

**Chapter 2:**

Tracy's Island:

Alan slipped away from the group after supper and made his way towards, as his brothers teasingly called it, Alan's Beach. Virgil had even made a sign and put it at the end of the path that led to the beach. His brothers' respect of his need for privacy had always made him feel loved even as their teasing and pranks took that feeling away. No one bothered him while he was on his beach, well unless they had a good reason too. No one wanted to accidentally unleash Hurricane Alan, because Brains had not invented a tool that could be used to diffuse that particular breed of hurricanes.

He sat down and watched the waves crashing on the shore. He couldn't believe that it had been almost two years on this very beach that the Hood had breached Island security and landed. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice the approaching footsteps until he heard a voice above him ask, "Mind if I join you?"

He looked up into John's face and could read his hesitancy. He wasn't surprised to see it considering how his family viewed him and this beach. Only TinTin and Fermat were brave enough to join him. He chuckled quietly at the thought of his older brothers and father afraid of him. He looked back at John who had been waiting patiently for his answer. John had been sure to make as much noise as possible when approaching Alan, but it was obvious that Alan had still been oblivious to his approach.

"Go ahead," Alan said while still chuckling softly.

"What's so funny?" John asked with a smile as he sat down on the beach next to Alan.

"You were scared of me," Alan replied while his eyes twinkled with suppressed laughter, "All of you are scared of me when I come here and I find that hilarious."

"Well, it pays to not be the one to set off Huricane Alan. Maybe you've heard of him? Looks a lot like you, is very destructive, comes here to blow himself out?" John replied seriously, but not without seeing Alan's amusement.

"My temper is really that bad?" Alan asked quietly.

John looked over at him surprised. "Well, it's not your finest trait, Sprout, but you've definitely improved over the past couple of years in leaps and bounds," he answered truthfully.

The two just looked at each other for a minute before John cleared his throat and steered the conversation back to what he had wanted to talk to Alan about in the first place.

"So, after this afternoon I feel as if I don't even really know you," John raised his hand as Alan opened his mouth to interrupt, "Just hear me out." Alan turned back towards the water at this, and with some trepidation John continued. "How long have you wanted to be a journalist?" he asked.

Alan took so long to answer that John was afraid he wouldn't get an answer. "Since I was around four," John's sharp intake of breath made Alan look at him again, "It looked so cool on TV, you know? Getting to go different places and be the one that told everyone what was going on. But I haven't thought of it seriously since I was twelve," Alan answered.

"I don't remember you ever mentioning that you wanted to be a reporter. Did you ever mention it?" John asked startled by Alan's confession. _'I would have remembered him mentioning something like that, wouldn't I?'_ he thought to himself.

"I never mentioned it seriously. I remember pretending I was one once in front of you guys and y'all getting a kick out of it, but there was no way any of you could have known I was being serious. Dad didn't like reporters even then, so I wasn't about to announce that I wanted to become one when I grew up. Then International Rescue came along, and it fulfills my childhood dream somewhat. I get to travel the world don't I?" Alan countered testily.

"I wasn't trying to attack you with my questioning. What a child wants to be when they grow up is something important, and we missed out on that with you. I can remember all of Scott's, Virg's, Gord's, and my childhood career choices, but I realized this afternoon I only knew of the Thunderbirds for you. If that is because I didn't take enough interest in you while you were growing up, I'm sorry," John said while now being the one staring at the ocean's beauty.

Alan made to deny John's claims of ignoring him, but stopped himself. He had often felt ignored as a child and it wouldn't do John and his future relationship any good if they didn't at least acknowledge the issue. Alan as a rule did not like to talk about personal matters and feelings with anyone, but he realized that he did need a sounding board on this matter. If he had to have chosen the person to have been in that meeting it would have been John. Out of all of his brothers, he was the one that without a doubt would not tease him about something as important as this.

"I did feel ignored as a kid, I won't lie, but neither am I going to let you shoulder all the blame. You and Scott definitely paid me the most attention growing up, and trust me on this. If you hadn't, we wouldn't be talking like this now," Alan declared.

John looked at the hard glint in Alan's eyes and mentally filed this bit of information away to address at a later date, because even though it was an extremely important conversation that needed to be had they only had so long before someone came looking for them. He had seen the faces on their father and brothers. They knew something was up with Alan, and he also knew without a doubt that they weren't going to leave a stone unturned until they knew exactly what. Why the kid couldn't see how much they all cared was something he was going to have to ponder at a later date.

"I'm grateful that we are talking like this now," John said, his eyes showing Alan just how serious he was, "I don't know if you noticed, but everyone has caught on that something is up with you. This means that we could be getting interrupted any moment now."

"You don't think they'd listen in do you?" Alan asked while looking around as if trying to spot someone lurking behind them.

'_If they felt the situation called for it, Allie.'_ John answered, "No, I don't think so. This is called Alan's Beach for a reason. We respect that, Sprout."

"Good!" Alan said with the relief evident in his voice, "I'm not ready for everyone to know. What if I fail? Then I'd have to listen to the teasing."

John looked at Alan startled. He opened his mouth to deny the claim, but realized he couldn't. He was usually on T5 so much that he wasn't always aware of what went on between his brothers, and given said brothers' collective personalities Alan would be teased quite often. He wouldn't be teased out of spite or because they wanted him to feel like he was a screw up, but because that was how they handled with things. They needed to be able to laugh at a situation to put it behind them, and Alan wasn't like that. _'I always thought he was just like Scott, but I guess he's a lot like me as well,'_ thought John.

"Does this mean that you want to give it a shot? Because I think you should. I mean this is obviously something that you've wanted to do for a while, and we all have our other hobbies besides the Thunderbirds which helps keep us grounded. You can do both, you know. It will take some cleverness on your part and some help from us at times if you have to do anything on International Rescue, but its worth it don't you think to chase your first dream now that you have the chance?" John argued.

"I need to think about it. Dad still doesn't like reporters at _all_. _If_ I do try out for the paper, then I don't want anyone to know but you until I get the results back. I don't want any extra pressure," Alan responded.

'_Damn, we have him that scared of our rejection? Deal or no deal, I've got to figure out a way to talk to everyone about this. I guess I could wait until he finds out for sure, though.'_ John answered, "Fine, but I have to give the family something if they pressure me. I won't give any details, though."

"But then they'll be expecting something!" Alan exclaimed.

"You've been cornered by them before. Do you really think I stand a chance? Before you say anything, though, I want you to consider something. Every one of us has attempted something and failed. I think you'd find a far more sympathetic audience than you think," John said evenly as he got up, "Now I think I'm going to head back up to let you think about this some more. And for what it's worth, I believe you can do it. They wouldn't be offering you this chance if you weren't capable."

"Thanks," Alan said softly with a smile that John couldn't help but mirror.

"Oh, and you and I are going to start talking a lot more. I don't like not knowing stuff like this about you," John warned.

"I guess I can get used to that," Alan responded while letting his attention return to the surf.

"Don't stay out here too long," John cautioned, but the only answer he received was the patented Alan Tracy eye roll.

_Back at the Main House:_

John walked into the kitchen quite shocked that he had made it this far without running into anyone. It was then that he noticed the time and he swore under his breath for not making Alan come back with him. The coffee pot was very noticeable with its glaring red 11:27. He poured himself a cup and debated calling Alan's cell and telling him to come back now when he heard a throat clear behind him. He turned around and saw his Dad standing there.

"Hey Dad," John said softly.

"He okay?" Jeff asked quickly.

"Yea, he just needs to figure some stuff out. He's not in trouble or anything. Now before you ask anything else I feel I should inform you that he made me promise to not tell _anyone_ anything, so please don't make me break his trust. Believe it or not it was something far too hard to win in the first place," John answered.

"Alan does like to keep to himself. Don't worry. I won't make you tell his secret. I do feel inclined to remind you how I feel about secrets in this family, however," Jeff returned with his eyebrow raised in John's direction.

"It wasn't planned, Dad. It just happened because I was the one to pick him up. If you must know the real reason he's keeping it a secret is because the kid's terrified of our reaction if he fails," John returned.

Jeff started at this. Alan was terrified of _his_ reaction? He had always tried to be completely supportive of his sons (within reason, Gordon's prank shop was quickly nixed). He could understand him being weary of his brothers with their teasing, good natured or not, when it came to teasing Alan and John were cut from the same cloth: their mother's.

"When will he know the results of whatever it is he's doing?" Jeff asked resignedly.

"Probably not long after he goes back to school," John answered astounded that his father had given in this easily.

"I'll give it till then and no later, got it?" Jeff warned.

"Got it," John answered relieved.

"Don't worry about Alan, John. Scott went to check on you two around 10:30. No, he didn't get close enough to hear you two, he was just worried. You know how he is. He probably stayed when he saw you head back on your own," Jeff said, letting the tiredness he felt creep into his voice.

"Good! I didn't realize it was that late, or I would have made Alan come back with me," John replied. He was too relieved that Alan wasn't alone this late in the jungle to be mad at Scott for potentially eavesdropping on them.

_Later that night or early Saturday morning (however you prefer to view it):_

Alan tossed and turned in his bed for several hours before deciding to go ahead and give it up. He wasn't going to get any sleep that night. He was too wound up from everything that had happened that day. As he slid off the bed he noticed the portfolio on his desk. Deciding to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, he opened it and pulled out the first page hoping it would tell him his assignment.

_Alan,_

_Mr. Barnes approached Mrs. Fletcher and I about letting you into our Journalism program. I will admit that we usually do turn upper-level students away, as we feel that one needs to work their way up through the ranks and a junior or senior doesn't have enough time. However, your work has been brought to my attention before and it is exemplary. Your file still has the paper your elementary school made you fill out that said what you wanted to be when you grew up and you said, "I want to travel the world and tell everyone what I saw". Well this is definitely the field to achieve that dream._

_With the above in mind, we have decided to break the norm and allow you a chance to join the top staffers. Keep in mind that this is a HIGHLY competitive field and if you succeed in bypassing the normal hierarchy, I feel I should warn you that the newsroom may become somewhat chilly, so to speak, until you prove yourself._

_On to your topic, one of our regulars on the world news beat has transferred to another school. I would like you to take over her story. All of her research is organized and in the file holder, although you may have to add to it. The topic she chose was International Rescue._

_Enjoy!_

_Charles Connely_

Alan looked up from the letter completely ashen. His topic was the Thunderbirds? How could he write about the Thunderbirds and keep it sounding like he didn't know more than he was letting on? How as a journalist given the job of reporting the news accurately could he report falsehoods about the organization? As if he didn't already have enough to try and work through this holiday! Mr. Connelly had to go and give him the one topic that was sure to throw a wrench in things. He had been seriously considering trying out for the school's newspaper, but now?


	3. Virgil Finds Out

**AN: I own the full Thunderbirds TV set! I own the full Thunderbirds TV set! LOL, I feel like a little kid with that opening not an almost 25 year old woman. Oh well, I guess no one ever truly grows up completely. One note about the TV series, apparently you have to be a Scott or Virgil fan to get the most out of the series. While I loved the episodes, there is like no real character development whatsoever. There are bits and pieces of fleshing out the characters and then lots and lots on the rescues and the technology, which looks like it's from the 1960s not the 2060s. LOL! Now back to the story:**

**I am going to start putting days and times in my story because even I am beginning to lose track. I haven't decided if I am going to bring a rescue into the story yet or not. Alan's issues are time consuming enough and he's my favorite character!**

**I own nothing! Although I do wish, even though in America I wouldn't get to see it, that Granada would start production on the new TV series that it shelved. The trailer is on Youtube if you don't know what I'm talking about. Search for "****CGI Thunderbirds Trailer", the show was supposed to be a combination of marionation and CGI. It looks so cool!**

**Okay, monologue over!**

_5:45__a.m. Saturday Morning:_

The Tracy compound had been designed to give the separate families it housed the utmost privacy from guests and themselves. In a way it was like four houses in one. The sublevels housed the labs, birds, and the Hackenbecker's apartment, so they could be near their experiments. The first floor had the common living areas, Jeff's office, and the Belagant's apartment. The second floor on the west wing was the guest quarters. The Tracy's had the second and third floors in the east wing for their bedrooms and private living areas. The brothers' rooms were not actually all together, but in groups. Scott, John, and Gordon were on the second floor facing the pool and Virgil and Alan were on what they liked to call the second and a half floor facing the jungle. They called it such because there was a half flight of stairs up from the second floor to their rooms and then next to the brothers' rec room another half flight of stairs actually led to the true third floor, the master suite, and the pathway to the library.

Virgil had actually expected Scott to end up in Alan's room, but their Dad had laid down the law that the boys could pick their own rooms. First one there won the room and Alan had actually found the rooms before Virgil did. Alan and Virgil were the only two brothers that had been lucky enough to have a balcony, well a shared balcony between the two rooms. Virgil had been upset initially when he found out Alan was next door, but Alan had proven to be capable of being quiet when he was home for an extended holiday. Alan was also proven to be a habitual late sleeper, a trait that would have to be drilled out of him when he truly became an active Thunderbird. Although Virgil did have to admit, if there were no rescues, at quarter to six in the morning he was the only one up, unless their Dad had any urgent Tracy Enterprises business to tend to.

Virgil quietly walked out of his room and almost winced at the whoosh behind him as his door closed. It sounded so loud in the silent hallway. As Virgil started moving down the half flight of stairs to the second floor he noticed a light under Alan's doorway. He paused and after hesitating a brief second began moving back upstairs to Alan's door. He could hear the rustling of papers and the clicking of computer keys through the door. He lightly knocked on the door three times, which was the agreed upon code between the brothers that meant, 'It's one of your brothers and I'm worried, so I'm coming in whether you like it or not'. He could hear the flurry of papers being moved as he quickly pressed the button outside Alan's door. The door whooshed open to reveal a disheveled Alan scooping up papers and looking at Virgil with trepidation and a hint of murder in his cerulean eyes.

The two simply stared at one another for about a minute before a picture caught Virgil's eye. He snatched up the picture and looked closer. There was no mistaking it. The picture was of horrendous quality, but it was of his Bird…on a rescue.

"Where did you get this?" Virgil asked quietly, while trying to keep his temper in check.

"I don't know where it came from," answered Alan holding up his hand when Virgil started to interrupt. "It's part of the research for an assignment that I took over from another student who transferred, and I haven't made it through everything yet."

"Their assignment was the Thunderbirds?" Virgil asked incredulously, "Wait a minute, why are you doing an assignment on International Rescue? Couldn't it have gone to someone else?"

"I wish…it's….I…" Alan trailed off as he found himself caught and with the prospect that he wasn't going to be able to keep his secret. He was going to have to tell Virgil and then by breakfast the whole island would know about his assignment and why he was doing it. His dad was going to flip.

Virgil cocked his head to the right as he was apt to do when pondering over an issue. Virgil's issue this time was a certain baby brother who was obviously hiding something and did not want to spill the beans, so to speak.

"Okay Alan, what gives? Does this have anything to do with the obvious secret between Johnny and you?" Virgil asked.

"Yea, it does." Alan answered while looking out his window wishing he could disappear into the jungle.

"Alan." Virgil simply stated while attempting to get Alan's attention to return to him.

"What?" Alan spat crossly causing Virgil to cock an eyebrow at him.

"You said this was someone's assignment? What class is this from?" Virgil asked while thinking, 'Maybe if I start small I can get him to open up to me about why all the secrecy. Yea, an assignment on the Thunderbirds is best avoided, but it isn't as big a deal as he's acting like it is!'

"Jour…." Alan mumbled. He said it so quietly that all Virgil heard was the first syllable, but it was enough.

"Journalism? You're taking a Journalism class? That's what you are so adamant about hiding?" Virgil asked shocked.

"I was just put in it by the school guidance counselor. Apparently he thinks it would be a perfect college major and career for me." Alan replied while looking at the floor.

Virgil sighed. Alan always shied away from them. None of his brothers understood why at the slightest hint of censorship on their part he backed off like a scared animal. Oh, he had a temper all right if you actually attacked him about something he did. Unluckily for their Dad, he was the main receiver of that particular trait Alan was, uh, blessed with from his mother. Maybe it said something about Alan's trust in their father, in a weird way, that he was willing to speak his mind with no regard to the consequences. His brothers were another story, and they couldn't decide if not having to really deal with Alan's temper was a good or bad thing if you viewed it from the perspective of his level of trust in them. Whether Alan realized it or not, all of his brothers felt the slight and were trying the only way they knew how to draw him in. John seemed to be the only brother having any real luck with the task. Virgil quickly made a mental note to sit down with John while he was home and find out what exactly he was doing that the rest weren't.

"Trying to push you into college, eh?" Virgil responded, 'Well, that certainly explains a lot!' he thought while actually saying, "They did that to all of us that went directly into I.R. The best thing to do is just go along with it and give them the impression that you are looking and considering a 'career'."

"What if I decide I like the pretend career?" Alan asked quietly.

'So that's what's really bothering him! Poor kid! We've all been there, that's for sure!' Virgil thought.

"Then that is what you pursue as your second career. Do you think that all we care about is International Rescue? All of us have outside hobbies we are pursuing, while hoping they turn into second careers. Scott actually likes business, so he doesn't mind having a large role at Tracy Enterprises. He just got his Business degree by the way. You know John's second career already, or at least you should. I seem to remember Dad mentioning to him that he wrote the Astronomy textbook that your school is using. John is only one semester away from getting his Doctorate. Gordon is currently working on his Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology. Yes, the fish is slowly returning to his natural habitat. Thank God!" Virgil told Alan to try and reassure him about a pursuing something besides I.R., "I think exploring something besides I.R. would be good for you. I mean it's basically all you've known. Dad started talking about it when you were 8 years old for crying out loud!"

"Journalists are one of the banes of International Rescue. You think that Dad is going to be thrilled that one of his son's wants to be one?" Alan asked, truly wanting to know what Virgil thought about his real reason for hesitating about announcing his assignment.

"Dad will support whatever you want to do, Sprout. Don't ever doubt that or doubt us. We want you to be happy, and if this makes you happy then every last one of us is behind you 110%." Virgil answered. He made sure to maintain eye contact to try and reinforce what he was trying to get across to Alan. His answer was a smile, a genuine, dimpled Allie smile that no one had really seen from him in at least the past three to four years. He couldn't help but grin back.

Alan glanced away as he processed everything. The literal and the implied messages in everything that Virgil had just said. He turned beck to Virgil with a half smile and said, "You forgot you earlier."

"Huh?" Virgil asked confused by the turn in conversation.

"When you were listing everyone's 'careers', you forgot you.", Alan answered while crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at Virgil. He wasn't as out of the loop as his older brothers believed him to be. He knew that Virgil wasn't truly all that interested in Engineering. If any of them had been asked to say what Virgil's career would have been, then they would have answered musician or an artist not an engineer.

"I haven't been hiding mine, Sprout. I'm studying to be an engineer. You know that." Virgil responded with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"What about music or art?" Alan asked quietly.

Virgil started a little at the question. 'Damn! Baby brother is good, but I can totally see what he's doing. He's deflecting. You are not going to get off that easily, Allie!'

"Well, are you going to answer?" Alan asked. He was starting to wish he had never asked the question in the first place. He had been put at ease by Virgil's open attitude, and now he had overstepped his limits. This was why he avoided talking like this to his brothers! They could ask all the questions they wanted of him, but let him question them in any way and they closed down. He looked over at the window again. "Forget it. Any other questions? If not, I have work to do."

Virgil literally shivered from the coldness that had crept into Alan's voice. It was then that he realized that Alan hadn't really been deflecting with his question. He was truly interested in Virgil's answer and Virgil's hesitation had caused Alan to shut down and close himself off.

"They're too hard to pursue from the island. I would have to be on the mainland to get the exposure required to be successful in either of those careers, but that doesn't mean that I've given them up. I was actually going to go work on a painting of the sunrise this morning." at this point Virgil glanced at his watch and was shocked to see that it was now almost 8 a.m., "I thought you were trying to deflect the conversation. I'm sorry." Virgil finished sheepishly.

Alan cut his eyes over at Virgil trying to tell if he was being honest. Virgil truly looked sorry Alan realized with surprise.

"Okay.", Alan replied. He wasn't ready to give Virgil more than that yet.

"So, how are you going to do the piece on the Thunderbirds?" Virgil asked trying to regain the trust he seemed to have lost in an instant.

Alan glanced back at the window again before he answered, "I thought I would use what I was given, or at least the parts that weren't too far off. Journalists are supposed to tell the truth you know. I am also supposed to add to the research, which is the tricky part. I figured I'd just write the damn thing and then cut out what gives too much away."

"Good plan, but can I suggest one thing?" Virgil asked thoughtfully. This was certainly an interesting situation that Alan had got himself into. This was going to take all the Tracys to pull it off, whether the kid realized it yet or not.

"What?" Alan asked suspiciously.

"Let all of us read it when you finish. That way more than one set of eyes looks at the facts and the grammar." Virgil answered.

"That would mean telling everyone what I'm working on! I don't want to do that!" Alan exclaimed. This was starting to get out of hand. "You and John know. Isn't that enough? That's two more sets of eyes that can look at it. I don't need to bring everyone else in on it!"

"I think you do. We all have a right and an interest in what you are doing. And this article affects all of us. If you write this article and it gets published without Dad or Scott having a heads up, then you really will have to do some serious damage control. John and I won't be able to do it for you. You know how protective they are of I.R.", Virgil countered.

Alan sighed. Virgil certainly had a point. As much as he didn't want to tell everyone it looked like he was going to have to.

"Will you let me do it?" Alan asked after he resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to give up his security that he had as long as he kept his secret.

Virgil blinked surprised. "Why wouldn't I let you be the one to tell? Just 'cause I hang around with Gordo doesn't mean that I'm him." Virgil answered, a little hurt by what Alan was assuming that he was going to run do.

"Sorry. I just…I…I really don't want to tell. This is just an audition piece. What if I tell everyone and then the piece isn't good enough to get me in?" Alan countered quietly.

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, hmm? You wouldn't have been pushed into this if you weren't capable. Let's just hope all future assignments have nothing to do with I.R.!" Virgil answered.

"No such luck. The position is the World beat, which means when there's a rescue…"Alan answered, "Well, I think you can figure out the rest."

"That could be a problem. Well, as much as you're going to hate it, we're just going to have to cut back your information on our rescues during the school year." Virgil replied.

Alan's eyes widened. He needed that information! That is what kept him from going insane after watching his family risk their lives on TV.

Virgil looked sympathetically at Alan. He knew how Alan felt. When their Dad had started International Rescue only Scott and Johnny were members. His heart almost stopped everytime he saw them on TV while he was in school.

"I know how you feel, trust me. Gordo and I've been there, too. However, the less information you have, the less you have to conceal." Virgil soothed.

"You have a point," Alan responded, "but I don't have to like it."

"I wouldn't have expected you to be thrilled with the prospect, but I can almost guarantee that Dad is going to say something almost exactly word for word." Virgil warned.

"Him and Scott both will!" Alan said despondently, _'Aren't I already on the periphery enough? Now I have to face the fact that I won't even get what little information I already get about the rescues!'_

"You will tell me if one of you gets hurt, right?" Alan asked.

"Yes, even if Dad says not to. I won't do that to you." Virgil promised, "Now, I don't know about you, but breakfast is going to be served in, oh…shit! Breakfast was served fifteen minutes ago! We are screwed! I'm shocked no one's come looking for us."

"What time is it?" Alan asked while trying to read the time on his laptop, _'Stupid, small print!'_

"9:15 a.m." Virgil answered, cocking his head, "Don't you remember what time the meals are around here? Summer wasn't that long ago!"

"Oh, shut up!" Alan growled. Truthfully he was quite embarassed that he had forgotten, given that their Dad liked to keep a precise schedule if there weren't any rescues.

Virgil chuckled softly at Alan's sudden slightly red complexion. "Come on, Sprout. Let's see if we can manage to get a little breakfast before Scott, John, and Gordo eat it all!"

"I'm glad Dad let John put Five on auto this weekend." Alan said truthfully. He had missed his blond brother.

"Me too, kiddo, me to." Virgil responded while ruffling Alan's quickly becoming long hair, "You need a hair cut, kiddo!"

"Over my dead body! I like it long!" Alan said while yanking away and glaring at Virgil.

"Dad might say differently." Virgil replied. He knew the only reason the patriarch hadn't mentioned it yet was the fact he was worried about Alan, but once the worry was removed…Alan would most definitely end up with short hair. He was supposed to have had it cut when he went back to school.

Alan simply glared at Virgil. He knew Dad was going to throw a fit about his hair before the week was through, but he was more concerned with his family's reaction to his news. It didn't matter what Virgil had said about them supporting him. He was scared to death by the idea of having to tell everyone.

"Oh, by the way…make sure you find out what type of camera took that picture so we can get it blocked." Virgil said suddenly completely serious.

"Already planned to." Alan replied followed by sticking out his tongue at Virgil.

'_Just when I think that boy is finally starting to grow up…'_ Virgil thought affectionately as the two walked out of Alan's room to head downstairs.

**So…Alan's decided to give up his secret. Do you think Virgil is right about the rest of the family or will there be a slight backlash to Alan's news?**

**AN: Sorry about any spelling or grammar errors. Some were intentional, and those are pretty obvious in the dialogue. The spell and grammar check on Microsoft Word quit working (one of those technological mysteries I'm not even going to try to understand) and I tried to go through it and catch all my mistakes.**


	4. Breakfast

**AN: I own nothing!**

**First of all I would like to profusely apologize for the long wait between chapters! I never intended for the wait to be this long, but life has a tendency to get in the way. So, sit back and enjoy the Alan-centered family angst because I intend to FINALLY finish this story by October. There I said it, so now I have to!**

**Please reread the previous chapters as I have made some minor changes storywise and grammatically. First of all the story now takes place on Fall Break, which some schools do have up North as opposed to not having Labor Day weekend like here in the South. Therefore, Alan has a whole week at home since Fall Breaks can be as long as Spring Breaks or simply a four day weekend (depends on the school and when they start back and get out). **

**On another note, this story is has not been beta'd (ok…spelling?) so I take full responsibility for any grammar mistakes that I did not catch. If you notice any outside of speech, let me know and I'll fix it and replace it. The speech mistakes are there because no teenage boy speaks with grammatically correct English. I don't even speak correct English, but then again, I'm from the South! LOL!**

Chapter 4:

Jeff Tracy sat at the head of the table looking worriedly at the two empty seats. Virgil missing breakfast was to be expected until he finished his painting. Jeff didn't have to like it, but he tolerated it. However, Alan was a different story. Unlike his brothers, the boy ate like a bird on top of the Tracy metabolism that kept his brothers from being overweight. A trait he had inherited from his mother. The boy was already borderline underweight for his size. He didn't need to miss any meals to add to that. Jeff noticed Scott's and John's eyes glancing at the empty chairs periodically, and realized he wasn't the only one worried.

An oblivious Gordon reached for the last few pieces of sausage only to be brought up short by…

"Leave those for your brother" Jeff stated annoyed, causing Gordon to stop short and look at him in surprise. There was an unstated rule that all meals were first come, first serve. If you were late, then you paid the price.

Jeff sighed, Alan's brothers didn't realize he had a weight issue with the baggy clothes he tended to wear and if he let the secret out…well, Alan would be smothered. He realized that he was going to have to give his sons a truthful reason for changing the way meals usually ran.

"Boys, I know by telling you this you're going to smother him, but I'm going to ask that you restrain. You have to promise" Jeff stated, "and you can't mention to him that I said anything." He looked around at the faces surrounding him that were suddenly fully focused on him. He could tell they were trying to figure out which of the two missing brothers he was talking about.

"As you've probably noticed over the years, Alan eats like a bird. He gets that from his mother, but it does have a negative side effect. He tends to be borderline underweight from time to time especially if he's stressed or has just had a growth spurt. He usually manages to gain the weight back, but since school started he hasn't seemed to be able to gain any, only lose. Not a lot, but enough I'm starting to worry."

The other three other Tracys present looked at each other and their expressions were all filled with shock and guilt. How could none of them have noticed this before? Surely at some point they should have.

"Is that why Alan always wears loose clothes?" Gordon asked.

"Yes, now I'm about to close this conversation because I do not want him walking in on it, so no more questions right now. And yes, I will be speaking with Virgil later, now eat your breakfast." Jeff answered quietly.

All four Tracys present at the table turned their attention back to their breakfasts with varying degrees of success just as Virgil and Alan came racing around the corner. Alan slid into his seat with his hands in the universal sign for 'score' as Virgil slid into his own.

"No fair, your seat was closer!" Virgil exclaimed as he winked at Alan, who promptly stuck out his tongue at his older brother.

"Alan", Jeff admonished.

"Sorry, Dad", Alan replied with a grin that showed that in no way was he sorry.

"You two dig in, you're late but Onaha has plenty of extras still in the kitchen." Jeff stated with a smile. "Scott, after breakfast I want you to do an inventory of One. Anything that needs to be replaced and/or fixed in the near future needs to be noted. Brains will be at that conference next month, so we need to get a jump on this."

"Yes, sir", Scott acknowledged, "When does the conference start again?"

"November 18", Jeff answered, "Virgil, I want you to do the same with Two and her pods. I will come and help you with that."

"Yes, sir", Virgil answered.

"Gordon, the same with the Three, John will help you since Five's too far for him to work on right now", Jeff said with a grin towards John, "Although John, I hope you realize that when you return to Five you have to do the same thing by yourself!"

"Yes, Dad", John replied with a roll of his eyes, "But unlike these monkeys I keep a running log of things I find."

"MONKEES!", Scott, Virgil, and Gordon all shouted.

"Boys!" Jeff admonished.

"Be prepared, Johnny Boy, be prepared!" Gordon warned.

"Gordon", Jeff said.

"Yes, Dad?" Gordon answered with a look of total innocence on his face.

"No pranks", Jeff said, "Now boys, off to your birds. Virgil, I will join you after I finish my conference call."

"No problem", Virgil responded as he finished the last of his breakfast and followed his other three brothers to the kitchen to drop off his plate.

This left Jeff, Alan, and Fermat at the table as Brains had already left for his lab when the boys left. With a nod to the boys Jeff got up and left the table to go begin his conference call.

"So, Alan, what do you want to do today?" Fermat asked while polishing off his food.

"Probably work on my assignment some more and go for a swim." Alan answered. He kept pushing his food around on his plate. He knew he should eat some more. He wasn't unaware of his problem, but he just couldn't seem to convince his stomach to let him eat if he was stressed. At least they had moved him to a class closer to his Astronomy class, so that stress was now gone. But what to do about telling everyone else about his assignment and what it meant if he passed! Maybe he should have let John tell his Dad and Virgil tell everyone else, and then he wouldn't have to!

"Alan, Alan, hey, are you listening?" Fermat called while waving a hand in front of his friend's face.

"Yea, sorry, I was thinking about something." Alan answered, looking up to notice that Onaha had come out to the table and had apparently been trying to get Alan's attention.

"That is quite alright, I simply wanted to know if there was something else you wanted for breakfast. You've barely touched your plate." Onaha replied frowning.

Alan looked down at his plate of sausage, eggs, and pancakes, only a third of which had been eaten. He grabbed the remaining sausage a polished it off figuring that the calories and protein would help. When he was done he looked back up at Onaha and shook his head while getting up to take his plate in. Onaha's frown deepened.

"Is there anything in particular you would like for lunch or dinner?" she asked.

Alan thought for a moment. "Your stroganoff for supper. If you don't mind", he answered.

'I don't mind at all. I have not fixed that in a long time." Onaha answered with a grin. She was happy he had answered. Now maybe she could get some weight back on him. She had learned over the years she had been with the Tracys that when Alan went through one of these phases if she could ply him with his favorites or requests then he could put back on the essential weight he was missing. She quickly returned to the kitchen to double check that she had everything she'd need for later and to quickly slice the leftover ham from the night before for lunch sandwiches whenever the men were ready for it.

Alan turned back to Fermat and asked, "What are you going to do this morning?"

"Probably see if my Dad or any of the ot…oth…guys need help," Fermat answered.

Alan looked down and then back up at his friend. "Do you think it looks bad that I'm not helping? You don't think they'll get mad do you? Technically I am a Thunderbird now, and just 'cause I don't have a ship yet…" he asked.

"No, you have an as…assign…homework. They'll understand that it'll mean more time la…la..tomorrow for you to hang out," Fermat answered.

Alan walked off from his friend and headed back to his room. He set about organizing the research back into the portfolio where he could easily grab what he wanted and copying her notes onto his laptop from the jump drive included with the portfolio. Once he was finished he packed everything up into his messenger bag to carry down to the pavilion on the main beach. It was the perfect place to work on his assignment. It was covered so nothing would get ruined if it started to rain, which it wasn't supposed to, and he could watch the surf whenever he got stuck. As he passed the kitchen he quickly packed a lunch and a cooler with water to take with him. Hopefully he could finish before anyone else found out.

**AN: So we've found out that Alan has a serious problem with his weight, which is personal for me as my cousin has the same problem. It is heart wrenching to watch someone you view as a sister desperately want to gain weight and has their ribs sticking out when they look in the mirror crying because unlike typical anorexia nervosa or bulemia, they see the damage the weight loss is doing. Luckily though, she has managed to gain control of it and has even pursued a Nursing degree so that she can better understand her own body and help others.**

**On another note, who do you think should find out about his assignment next? Whoever gets the most votes will be the Tracy featured with Alan in the next chapter, since by the end of the "day" in the story they will all know. **


	5. Caught!

**AN: I own nothing! I'm back! It's been a long time and I apologize for letting life get in the way, but I was busy trying to finish school and get a job. Scored both, so now I have a lot more free time!**

Chapter 5:

Alan made it down to the main beach in record time and luckily did not run into one soul as he was leaving the house. Now whether or not no one saw him leave was another matter. His father, and especially Scott, rarely missed any of his coming and goings when he was home.

He went over to the picnic table he had dragged down to the beach a few years ago. He grinned ruefully as he remembered _that_ endeavor. His father had bought new deck furniture and was going to throw out the old pieces. Alan had found the picnic table sitting at the dump site, ok, not technically a dump site, but it was where the family stored items that were later taken over to the mainland to donate or toss if necessary. After recruiting Fermat, they had dragged the picnic table from the dump site down the path up to the main house. Once they reached the house, Scott had stopped them, and upon realizing what Alan wanted to do with the table, he organized the other Tracy brothers to move the table down to the main beach for everyone to use.

Scott had later fixed the table where is had started to break as it was being dragged by the two boys. Virgil had sanded and re-stained the table to hide the years of use by a group of rowdy boys, whose signs were easily visible. Their father had had a pavilion build over the table to protect it from the elements and to make a nice meal location for the family.

Since then each of the brothers used the location for different reasons. Alan preferred doing his homework there. Actually, his goal had been to drag the table to his beach, but age and lack of muscle had forced his hand when Scott took over. Although he enjoyed having the picnic table at the main beach, he remembered the brothers having many picnics at the table when he was little.

Alan spread out his work on the table and got to work. He worked quietly and lost track of time until a shadow fell across the table, forcing him to look up and straight into Scott's face. Scott, whose face, looked thunderous at the moment. Alan followed his line of sight and landed on the pictures of the Thunderbird aircraft. Alan gulped. He could have done without Scott or his father seeing _those_ without prior warning.

Alan scooped up the pictures and put them back into his bag and looked back up at Scott. Scott had his eyebrow raised at him that clearly meant, _'Just because you put those in your backpack does not mean that I didn't just see them.'_

Alan sighed. "I can explain," he said.

"Oh, I'm looking forward to your explanation," Scott replied.

Alan cut his eyes and glared at Scott. "It's a research assignment for a class at school. I don't know where they got the pictures from or what camera was used. And no, I didn't choose the topic," Alan explained.

Scott stared at Alan. He was too defensive for this to be a simple research assignment. Scott wasn't upset that Alan's topic was International Rescue. It wasn't illogical for certain classes to discuss IR and have their students research it. International Rescue was the first organization of its kind and bound to be a hot topic for teachers to discuss with their students. Gordon had even come home one holiday and told their father about a classmate whose topic was International Rescue for their Current Events class. If it was a relevant topic when Gordon was in school, then it was even more relevant for Alan and his peers.

"Do you remember Gordon telling us about a classmate who had to write about International Rescue for their Current Events class at Wharton?" Scott asked.

Alan searched his memories and came up short. He sighed. He wished he had remembered that. It would have made this assignment feel less sneaky.

"Nope. I wish I had, though," Alan answered with a small smile.

Scott smiled back and sat down across from Alan at the table. He wondered how he wanted to approach this. When Alan was little all he had to do was sit down next to him to get Alan to open up. At the present, the only one of the brothers having any luck getting Alan to open up was John. Their father wasn't even able to get his youngest to completely level with him. It hurt that Alan didn't seem to want anything to do with them. Scott, Virgil, and Gordon covered up their hurt feelings with teasing and laughing, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

"I don't remember Current Events being one of your classes this semester," Scott said, "What class is this assignment for?"

"It's…it's for my Journalism class," Alan answered quietly.

Scott felt his eyebrows rise. There was no Journalism class on the schedule that their father had given him a copy of. Which meant that Alan was either lying or he had had his schedule changed without notifying Dad. Jeff was an overprotective father because he felt he had to be. He needed to know where Alan was at all times. There had been too many threats to the family through Tracy Enterprises for him not to be overprotective.

"I thought you were taking Astronomy, English, Trig, and U.S. History," Scott stated.

"Mr. Barnes changed my schedule because I was constantly late to Astronomy because the rooms were so far apart. I couldn't make it in five minutes, even running," Alan replied to Scott's unspoken question.

"Ah…ok, make sure Dad has a new copy of your schedule, if the school hasn't sent him a copy already," Scott said, "What's your new schedule?"

Alan could feel the color draining from his face. He never considered the school e-mailing his father about his new schedule. _'Shit!'_ This was not going to be good if he got the e-mail before Alan told him. Then there was the fact that on the other hand, he didn't _want_ his father to know about the new classes. It was still too new. He wasn't ready for everything to be completely out in the open.

Scott watched Alan grow pale and close in on himself with worry. Had he really thought that they knew nothing about his life at school? Jeff made sure that all of the brothers knew at least the basics about his school days, what classes he was taking, what activities he was in, etc…

"Alan?" Scott asked quietly, "What's going on?"

Alan looked up and swallowed a few times, then looked away again, only this time he was watching the waves.

"Alan?" Scott asked a bit more forceful this time.

"I was taken to Mr. Barne's office because of my schedule by the headmaster. Once I was in there, he started talking to me about college and careers and SATs," Alan answered.

Scott pursed his lips. He could see how this kind of conversation would have put Alan on edge with his counselor. He couldn't very well say, _'I want to be a Thunderbird when I grow up'_. Truthfully, he was glad that the counselor had talked to Alan about careers and college. They all agreed that Alan needed another focus besides the Thunderbirds. Jeff was already planning on talking with him over Christmas about the future. _'I guess you were a little late, Dad,' _thought Scott, ruefully.

"Apparently when you have to answer questions about what you want to be when you grow up, it gets added to your file," Alan said with a sigh.

"That's a problem?" Scott asked.

"No…no, it's not a problem. I just wasn't expecting him to know so much about me without me having to say a word," Alan answered.

Scott looked over at the ocean for a moment to gather his thoughts. Alan, while loud and outgoing, was a very private person when it came to personal matters. He wasn't even comfortable discussing his thoughts, dreams, and feelings with his family much less a school counselor. _'Alan would have felt very blindsided,'_ Scott thought.

"You said you wanted to be what, a journalist, a writer? What?" Scott asked.

"A journalist," Alan answered quietly. He made sure to keep his eyes on the table. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see Scott's reaction to his career choice. He was so focused on the table that he did not see Scott until his fingers were already lifting Alan's head up. Scott had a hard look on his face and Alan's heart plummeted.

"Don't ever look down like you're ashamed! It doesn't matter who you're talking to, always look them in the eye! Do you understand?" Scott lectured.

"Ye..yes," Alan answered. He was confused. He says he wants to be a journalist and Scott simply responds to his mannerisms instead of what he said?

"Good. Now, how long have you wanted to be a journalist?" Scott asked.

"Since I was around five," Alan answered while making sure he was looking Scott in the eye even though his mind was screaming at him to look away.

Scott sucked in a breath. Alan had wanted to be a journalist since he was very young and the family had no clue. The idea made him sick to his stomach. He had always known what his brothers' hopes and dreams were or at least he thought he had.

"Let's go talk to Dad," Scott said, watching as Alan got a panicked look on his face at the idea. Scott reached over and put his hand on Alan's shoulder. "He really is the best person to talk to about this. You really didn't expect to be able to pull this off and not talk to him at all about it, did you?"

Alan shrugged. "I was hoping to get to wait a little longer," he answered.

Scott squeezed Alan's shoulder for support. "Sometimes waiting can backfire on you, buddy. Keep that in mind for the future, ok?"

"Ok," Alan answered with a small smile.

Scott couldn't help but smile in return. It had been far too long since he had received any size smile from Alan. He was also concerned by the lack of confidence that Alan was showing. That lack of confidence is not a good combination with a borderline eating disorder. Their family was going to have a lot of work ahead of them to get Alan to trust them again so that he could receive the help and support he needed. Help and support that they had always wanted to give him.


	6. Facing the Music

**AN: I own nothing!**

**Chapter 6**

Scott put his hand on Alan's shoulder and squeezed lightly while making sure to smile encouragingly.

"Come on, Sprout. You'll feel better if you go ahead and get it over with. I'll go with you," Scott offered.

Alan looked out over at the horizon. He was very tempted to take Scott up on his offer of support. However, a Tracy isn't a Tracy if they're not independent and his independent streak was balking at the idea of Scott holding his hand, so to speak.

"No, Scott. I need to try by myself first, at least. I can't promise not to lose my temper, though," Alan said concerned.

Scott sighed. "Alan, that would be the worst thing you could do. How about this? I promise that I will talk with him privately if he blows a gasket over this, which, by the way, I highly doubt he will. I believe you've made this into a bigger deal then it actually is," Scott replied, "I'll even get John to go with me. You know he can always handle Dad."

Alan chuckled. It was a well known fact amongst the brothers that for whatever reason, John just seemed to be exempt from their father's anger. It probably had something to do with the fact that John rarely got in trouble or at least rarely got caught. If you knew the topic would upset Jeff, then it was a smart idea to get John on your side.

"John already knows. He came to pick me up and had to sit in a meeting about all this," Alan answered back, not really thinking about the trouble he just got John into with Scott.

"John what?!" Scott exclaimed.

Alan looked up, realizing that he had just made a potential mistake. "No, it's not like that! I forgot he was coming and then he arrived before the meeting and then Mr. Barnes asked him…," Alan banged his head on the table, "Oh, just shoot me now!"

Scott couldn't help it. He laughed. Alan looked up from where his head was on the table and cut his eyes at Scott.

"Sorry, Sprout. However, I will be having another discussion with my other blond younger brother," Scott replied.

Alan made a face at being called 'Sprout'. Term of endearment or not, of all the nicknames they could come up for him, really, Sprout?

Scott chuckled quietly at the look on Alan's face. It was a well known fact that Alan thought he was too old to be called a 'Sprout', but that didn't stop his brothers from using the childhood nickname whenever and _wherever_ they saw fit.

"It's not John's fault that he was there and I asked him to keep quiet. I wanted to see if I was good enough to make it on the paper before any of you found out," Alan said quietly.

"I'm not mad at John. I wish you hadn't felt like you needed to keep this a secret. You wanted to keep it a secret before you even knew your topic was the Thunderbirds, didn't you?" Scott asked.

"Yea," replied Alan, quietly, "John doesn't know what my topic is, though."

"Ok, Sprout, let's get your things picked up and go find Johnny," Scott responded.

Between the two of them it was not long before all of Alan's stuff had been packed back into the folders and the two brothers were on their way to the main villa in search of John. 

* * *

John sat quietly in the Library/Observatory with a book held loosely in his hands. He wasn't that interested in his father's old _Star Trek_ novel at the moment. He was more interested in watching Scott and Alan on the beach. Out of all the Tracys, John was the only one who frequented the Observatory. Therefore, he was the only one who was aware of the perfect view it had of all of Tracy Island and her inhabitants that were outdoors. Not only could he see Scott and Alan, but he also could watch Gordon swimming laps and Virgil painting over on Lookout Rock. Although, Virgil seemed to be distracted as well, probably because Lookout Rock had a good view of the beach that Scott and Alan were on.

John watched Alan and Scott pack up Alan's things and head towards the main house. That could only mean one thing, Scott now knew and he was forcing Alan to talk to their father. John sighed. He knew that their father needed to know and wanted to know what was going on, but he had hoped that Alan would make the decision on his own to tell Dad.

John's watch started flashing, startling him out of his thoughts as he pressed the button on the side to answer the incoming call.

"John here," he answered.

"John, its Scott. Where are you at the moment?" Scott asked.

John felt his eyebrow climb on his forehead. He had not expected the two to come to him, although perhaps he should have. Dad always did seem to listen to him better than the others. The other boys were too like their father in temperament when they were upset or passionate about a topic. This fact usually led to them butting heads with their father.

"The Library," John answered, "Do you want me to come to you?"

"Yea, meet us by Dad's office. Since you were present at Alan's meeting with his counselor, then you can answer Dad's questions better than I can," Scott responded.

John felt his other eyebrow meet its twin in height. He knew as much about the situation as Alan, so that wasn't the real reason Scott was bringing him into the meeting.

"Alright, see you in a few minutes," John simply said.

"OK," Scott replied, "Scott out."

John lowered his arm and looked back out the window. Gordon was still swimming laps without any idea of what was going on around him, but Virgil was now packing away his art supplies to head back to the house. This development caused John to raise his eyebrows and then narrow his eyes in consideration. Virgil's room was right next to Alan's and there were a few times when he found out about issues before the older two brothers based on his proximity to the youngest member. John was willing to bet a good amount of money that Virgil also knew about Alan's assignment. John sighed and stood up, stretching to work the kinks out of his back from sitting in one place for so long.

"Might as well get the show on the road," John said quietly to the empty room, "There's no time like the present."

* * *

Scott sat quietly on the sofa waiting for John to come around the far corner. Alan, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth in front of the hallway to the library.

"Alan," Scott said gently.

"Yea?" Alan asked distractedly.

"Sit down before you wear a hole in the floor and I have to explain it to Dad," Scott chided.

Alan smiled a small, embarrassed smile and went to sit in the arm chair across from Scott. He knew he was being somewhat silly, and that his dad had never given him any indication that he would blow up at him over an assignment. He nervously tapped his foot against the chair leg as he waited for John to arrive.

Scott sighed and was about to say something to Alan about his foot tapping when the two heard footsteps coming down the hall towards them. Alan jumped up from his seat while Scott just shook his head. _'Well, might as well get this over with,'_ thought Scott,_ 'I hope Dad can keep an open mind!'_

John walked quietly around the corner and came face to face with a nervous, _bouncing_ Alan. Seriously, the kid was bouncing in place, he was so nervous about this meeting. John looked over at Scott, who shrugged as if to say he couldn't think of any way to stop him. John looked back at Alan and put his hands on Alan's shoulders.

"Allie, pull yourself together," John admonished, "You go in to see Dad like this and you'll have him on edge."

Alan looked at the floor, but did not pull away from John, something that did not go unnoticed by his brothers. Alan stayed that way for about a minute and then he squared his shoulders and looked up to meet John's eyes.

"I'm ready", Alan said quietly.

"Then let's go," Scott responded, getting up from the couch to walk over to his brothers.

John looked at Alan closely and then over at Scott again, who raised an eyebrow at him. John chuckled quietly and turned back to Alan.

"If you're ready, then so am I," John replied with a smile.

Scott walked up and clapped Alan and John on the back. He jerked his head in the direction of their Dad's office and then walked off. He was confident that the other two were following him. The boys didn't stop until they reached the office door. At the door, Scott backed up and motioned for Alan to take the lead. This caused a startled expression to cross Alan's face for a moment before he raised his fist and knocked on the door.

* * *

Jeff had been sitting in his office since Virgil and he had finished the inventory on Two, supposedly working on the paperwork for the upcoming merger with an Australian engineering firm. However, he found that he just could not seem to concentrate on the papers in front of him. He never could focus on work when there was something wrong with one of his boys. If he was honest with himself, he was terrified of what was going on with Alan. The weight problem terrified him, due to the fact that he did not know how to fix it. The only thing he could think of was to home school Alan, but that did not seem fair to Alan. Alan probably did not realize it now, but he would end up treasuring his high school memories when he grew up. One can only experience childhood once and Jeff did not want to take those experiences away from his baby. Virgil had adamantly agreed with Jeff's statement about school when they discussed Alan's weight problem while working. Jeff leaned back as he though back on the conversation he had with the Island's resident medic earlier in Two.

_Virgil looked at his father with wide eyes. Jeff could tell that he was trying to process what his father had just told him about his baby brother. He was waiting for the accusations, to be honest. Virgil did not tolerate medical secrets being kept from him. While he agreed with Virgil, he also felt the need to try and let Alan work on it by himself. He did not have the issue at home as bad, so Jeff decided that Virgil did not need to know._

_"You've known about this condition for awhile, haven't you?" Virgil asked quietly, focusing narrowed eyes on his father._

_Jeff sighed. There it was, the accusation he had been waiting for. "Yes, Virgil", Jeff answered, "There is not much that goes on with any of you that I miss."_

_"Dad, I am the medic here on the Island. I need to know when something is wrong with one of my brothers. It doesn't matter if said brother is not a full-time Thunderbird yet!" Virgil exclaimed._

_"Yes, but Alan spends most of his time on the mainland at school. That also happens to be where the most problems occur. He doesn't really have a weight issue here and until this semester he had always gained the weight back fairly quickly," Jeff countered._

_Virgil opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by Jeff raising his hand._

_"Virge, that's enough. I am still his father and I made that call and I would do it again tomorrow," Jeff said crossly._

_Virgil closed his mouth and rethought his approach on the subject._

_"What are you planning to do about the issue this time, since it is getting worse?" Virgil asked._

_Jeff sighed. He honestly did not know what to do to help his baby. His baby, who didn't even know that his father was aware of his weight problem, did not accept help easily._

_"The only thing I can think of is to talk to him and discuss possibly homeschooling until we can get a handle on his weight," Jeff answered._

_"Dad, while the medic half of me agrees with that statement, the brother side disagrees. He only gets one shot at high school. He's in his junior year now. He only has one year left after this one. If I remember correctly from Wharton's, this is the year he gets to declare a 'major' to pursue", Virgil responded._

_Jeff looked up surprised. That was true. He had forgotten that Wharton's had 'majors' or field related tracks that the students could choose from to pursue. He wondered if the added stress of that was what pushed Alan over the edge in regards to his weight._

_"Has Alan said anything to you about it?" Jeff asked._

_Virgil hesitated, causing Jeff to narrow his eyes at Virgil._

_"Yes, but Dad, it's not my place to tell you. You need to talk to Alan about it", Virgil said hastily._

There was one other thing nagging him about his baby, the obvious secret between Alan, John, and now Virgil. He agreed with John and Alan for the most part that Alan needed to be the one to confide in Jeff. Jeff wanted all of his sons to feel like they could come to him with any problem. It hurt that Alan apparently did not trust or was not comfortable enough with Jeff to come to him with his problems. The father in him, though, was already on edge about what Alan could need to confide. Alan had enough stress and he didn't want anything adding to it. Onaha had already confided in him that Alan had requested stroganoff for supper. He was pleased with that development. If Alan was requesting specific food, then hopefully they could get him to gain back the weight lost.

Jeff was startled out of his thoughts by a knock on his door. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. His sons never knocked and Brains was working on One's navigational systems.

"Come in," Jeff called turning towards the door.

He was even more surprised when Alan came in followed by Scott and John. So now, apparently, John, Virgil, _and_ Scott knew Alan's secret. Jeff took a deep breath. He knew how important this discussion was going to be. It hurt that Alan thought he needed back up to talk to Jeff. Jeff was simply going to have to show Alan that he could talk to Jeff about anything.


End file.
